The City of Lake Ozark - 50 Years

The City of Lake Ozark was incorporated in August of 1966.

Can you spot this area today?  There are two buildings in this photo that are still standing. I wish I could give proper credit to the origin of this photo but I don't recall where I got it off the web.

This picture was taken some time in the 1930s (1932-1933 would be my guess).  You can see the old White House Hotel and Post Office.  During construction of Bagnell Dam what is now the "Strip" was one of the first developments created to support workers and visiting dignitaries.

There's good food and drink at the Post Office these days.  :)

Why is the Lake of the Ozarks the "Best Lake" in the U.S.?

If you are familiar with the Lake of the Ozarks, by now I'm sure you've heard that for 2016 it was voted the best recreational lake in the U.S. by a reader survey done by USA Today.  It was not stated how many readers took the survey, but the list of ten was whittled down from a selection of 20 lakes.

So why exactly does the Lake of the Ozarks rank so highly when compared to other popular lakes such as Lake Powell (#10), Lake Tahoe (#5), or even Lake Michigan(#7)?  What makes a lake popular? What makes a lake ideal for "recreational use"?

Why is the Lake of the Ozarks the "Best Recreational Lake"?

Black Bears at the Lake of the Ozarks?

June 2019 Update - A bear was captured on video swimming in the Lake of the Ozarks. LakeExpo has it here.

LakeExpo - I know, it looks more like a giant otter in this screen grab

I've also checked the Missouri Dept. of Conservation for the map I've referenced in the original article and they seemed to have updated things a bit. Here's the current map of bear "interactions" for the state. It's interesting to compare with the map from my original post. The seem to be moving north and westerly. The original post map has them mostly concentrated in the southeast. Apparently bears are on the move and finding the Lake area attractive. The "mortality" part of the graph presumably means the bear, not people. I've never heard of anyone being killed by a black bear but it could certainly happen I suppose (mother bears are particularly protective). I'm a little surprised by how many are in the St.Louis area.

On Saturday June 25th 2016, a black bear was spotted in a tree near the Grand Glaize Bridge at the Lake of the Ozarks.  We do live near the largest state park in the state, so it is little surprise that mountain lions and bears have found favorable habitat here.  This bear was pelted with bean bags by the conservation department to goad it into leaving the area, but was otherwise unhurt.


Everyone may now freak out.

Done?  Good, because it's not a big deal.  Black bears are very common in Missouri these days, especially in the south and southeast where there is plenty of undeveloped land. The Missouri Department of Conservation tracks many bears, but it does not appear that this one was tagged or monitored.

To me, this does not look like a healthy animal.  There's a spot of mange on the back side and it looks malnourished. But don't let that fool you, any bear is a formidable animal when agitated and should never be approached. It is very likely that this bear is living off human refuse.  Homeowners in the area would be wise to take steps to minimize the appeal of their areas to a black bear's appetites. No one need go out and buy bear proof trash receptacles, but there are some simple things that can be done to discourage their prowlings.  Eating garbage isn't any better for animals than it is for humans.  See specimen on the left.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has a geolocation system for black bears so if you know a particular bear's tag number you can see its territory.  Below is a heat map of all the bears MDC is tracking.  As you can see there are no hot spots around the lake area despite several sightings over the years.

This isn't the first time a bear has been spotted in the lake area recently.  In July of 2014 a black bear was found dead in the Gravois Mills area after becoming entangled in barbed wire fencing.

June 2016 Lake Levels and Flow Rates

Lake levels and flow rates for June at the Lake of the Ozarks were mostly on the low side compared to the five year moving average, ending at a comfortable 659.27', less than a foot from full pool. With the memory of the floods in 2015 still fresh in everyone's mind it was a little comforting to see some capacity available with all the rains forecast for the 4th of July holiday weekend.  Daily power generation (indicated in green by flow rates above 5000 cfs) was typical for summertime energy demands.

The Big Niangua River Trail Is Here!

This is really excellent news for kayakers and canoeists in the area. The Lake Ozark Watershed Alliance, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and the Missouri Master Naturalist program, have sanctioned a new recreational waterway for usage by kayakers and canoeists.  The Big Niangua River Trail starts just downstream of the Tunnel Dam and ends at Ha Ha Tonka, representing a run of about 13 miles along some very beautiful terrain.  If I had to guess I would say it's likely Class I-II all the way.

I've paddled from Ha Ha Tonka upriver to the Onyx Cave, and all around Lake Niangua, but was never brave enough to make the full run downriver from the Tunnel Dam to the Lake of the Ozarks. One of the first things you see below the Tunnel Dam is low water bridge (Whistler?) that is impossible to navigate by water, and not knowing just how many of these there are my concern was that the run would require several portages. Thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case and kayakers and canoeists travel is now authorized (but you do need to put in below said bridge).

The Missouri Master Naturalist website created an annotated google map of the area so you know what you're getting into, but it looks like a great way to spend the day on the kayak. I'm looking forward to making the run myself as soon as I can and will post some pictures.

2016 Safety Report available

In years past I've titled this annual report for the year of reporting but I've decided to change that going forward.  Although this post is done in 2016, it is actually for data and events occurring in 2015.  Obviously we cannot produce a report for this year, until the year is over.

How Safe Is the Lake of the Ozarks?

Looking at what has already happened at the Lake in 2016, let's hope the public fairs better safety wise in the coming summer months.

Be courteous. Be safe. Enjoy!

Mountain Lions at the Lake?

It's no secret that Mountain Lions (aka cougar or puma) are returning to Missouri. Since 1994 the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has had a task force in place to investigate all big cat sightings.  To date, there have been sixty confirmed sightings of the mountain lions in Missouri, mostly in the southern half of the state.  The most recent was in February of 2016 in Shannon county where sightings of cougars, along with black bear, have become common around the Current and Jacks Fork rivers.

In an earlier sighting in January, an automated game camera took a picture of a cougar in a county that hits a little closer to home, Henry county.  Henry county is one of the counties that includes parts of Truman Lake.  This cougar was apparently photographed near the Henry-St.Clair county border very close to the lake itself. (April 2016 Update - the carcass of a mountain lion was discovered along the shoreline of Truman Lake about 10 miles southeast from this sighting and very likely the same animal).

January 2016 Sighting

A less recent but even more relevant sighting in October of 2015, again confirmed by MDC, occurred in Miller county, along the Osage river.  This cat is well within range of the Lake of the Ozarks and more importantly Missouri's largest state park, but if the map provided by MDC is accurate the cougar is on the wrong side of the river to make it easily to the lake area. In order to reach the lake it has only two paths. The first assumes it survives crossing Hwy 54 to make it to the north side of the lake around the Gravois arm. While there is some habitat in that area, I do not think the animal would find it desirable to stay. What would be a desirable location is the Lake of the Ozarks State Park, but in order to reach this area, it would have to cross the Osage River at some point. I've kayaked down the Osage River from Bagnell Dam all the way to St.Thomas and can say that crossing the river, especially when it is low is possible in many locations. Besides, I think they can swim.

October 2015 Sighting

Prior to these two sighting the nearest sighting was in Pulaski county in the Summer of 2013.

While it's apparent mountain lions are returning to the area I don't believe there is cause for concern. There is plenty of game to keep them satisfied in the areas they have been spotted and the lake itself is active enough to discourage any large predator from sticking around. Having said that, I assure you that the next time I'm camping in southeast missouri I won't just be keeping an eye out for bear.